Coxheath Hills residents worried about silence surrounding proposed CBRM copper mine
Residents' group says municipality, company are not providing any updates 2 years after land purchase offer

Residents in the Coxheath Hills area about 10 kilometres southwest of Sydney, N.S., are nervously awaiting word on the status of a proposed copper mine.
Nova Copper offered to buy some land two years ago from Cape Breton Regional Municipality for its proposed mining project, but council declined to publicly consider it.
Laura MacNeil, president of the Keep Coxheath Clean Association, said residents are worried a copper mine could hurt wildlife and ruin the drinking water.
"The community has to be on board and we are simply not," she said in a recent interview. "We refuse to become a sacrifice zone."
MacNeil said CBRM council promised consultation with residents two years ago, but is no longer responding to requests for information.
"It's really concerning," she said.
"We are a group of citizens who have legitimate concerns with this project. It has the potential to poison our drinking water, so we kind of feel like we're yelling into the void."
Copper exploration ongoing
Copper is a critical mineral needed for batteries, electric motors and renewable energy. According to the Mining Association of Nova Scotia, the first exploration for copper in the Coxheath Hills began in 1878.
Nova Copper president Harry Cabrita has said the project is still in its exploration phase and workers are collecting mineral samples over a wide area.
According to the Keep Coxheath Clean Association, a freedom of information request with CBRM uncovered a letter from the company to Coun. Esmond (Blue) Marshall last fall.
In it, Nova Copper said it would be reaching out to First Nations leaders and creating a community liaison committee "in the weeks to come."
No one from Nova Copper would provide an interview, but spokesman Joe Hines said in an email that the company is close to signing an agreement.
He did not say what that agreement would mean.

Marshall, who represents the Coxheath Hills area on CBRM council, said in a phone call last week that he has not heard anything lately about the proposed mine.
Meanwhile, MacNeil called it upsetting that the provincial government is pushing for the development of critical metals like copper.
"That was not part of their platform when we were in the election back in the fall, so it's disappointing that they are now deciding without the voters' say that this is the direction we're taking.
"We believe in development. We know that's so important. We need jobs in Nova Scotia, but it can't be at any cost."

MacNeil said the silence around the project has residents wondering if it is being advanced without public scrutiny.
"You know, mining waste is toxic. It can affect entire watersheds.
"This is a really serious concern. This is not NIMBYism. This is our water supply. Are we going to be able to drink it? That is a fundamental issue here that nobody seems to be recognizing."
Environmental agency ACAP Cape Breton has been collecting data on biodiversity in the area during the month of June for the past two years.

Executive director Kathleen Aikens said it's too soon to talk about this year's findings, but last year volunteers found older forests, a variety of trees, plants and animals, as well as an olive-sided flycatcher — a bird considered a species at risk.
She said that does not necessarily mean the area needs to be protected and more studies are needed before deciding whether a mine should open there.
"Really. it's about having as much information as possible to make good decisions," Aikens said.
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